Across The Shield: Justin Fields Has Second Straight Four-Touchdown Game, Chase Young Tallies 11 Pressures and C.J. Stroud Breaks an NFL Record

By Dan Hope on October 10, 2023 at 10:10 am
Justin Fields vs. Washington Commanders
Brad Mills – USA TODAY Sports
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Before last week, Justin Fields had never thrown four touchdowns in a game in 28 starts as an NFL quarterback. The former Ohio State quarterback has now done it in back-to-back games.

After completing 28 of 35 passing attempts for 335 yards and four touchdowns in the Chicago Bears’ Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos, Fields started off Week 5 by completing 15 of 29 passing attempts for 282 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bears to a 40-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football.

Fields came out firing in the national spotlight, completing a 58-yard pass to DJ Moore on the third play of the game and following that up with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Moore three plays later.

His second touchdown pass of the night was his finest, as he lofted a perfectly placed ball to the back left corner of the end zone to Moore for an 11-yard score.

In the first half alone, Fields threw for 189 yards and three touchdowns on 12 completions and 20 attempts, throwing his third touchdown pass of the game in the final minute before halftime.

The Bears’ first victory of the season was sealed when Moore turned a fourth-quarter Fields pass into his fourth touchdown of the night with a 56-yard catch-and-run.

After a shaky start to the season, Fields’ back-to-back four-touchdown performances renewed confidence in his ability to be a long-term NFL franchise quarterback. He accounted for 339 total yards of offense against the Commanders, as he also ran for 57 yards on 11 carries, and avoided throwing an interception for the first time all year.

In recognition of his standout performance, Fields earns our Pro Buck of the Week award as Ohio State’s top NFL performer of Week 5.

Pro Bucks of the Week
Week Player Stats
Week 1 Saints CB Marshon Lattimore 1 INT, 3 PBU, 2 tackles
Week 2 Texans QB C.J. Stroud 30-47 passing, 384 yards, 2 TD
Week 3 Saints WR Chris Olave 8 catches, 104 yards
Week 4 Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 35-yard fumble return TD
Week 5 Bears QB Justin Fields 15-29 passing, 282 yards, 4 TD; 11 carries, 57 yards

Fields is now tied for second among all NFL quarterbacks this year with 11 touchdown passes on the season.

Fields’ impressive showing against the Commanders came in spite of constant heat from his former Ohio State teammate Chase Young, who had a standout performance of his own in a losing effort as he recorded a whopping 11 quarterback pressures (one sack, three additional quarterback hits and seven additional hurries), the most by any player in a single game this season according to Pro Football Focus.

Curtis Samuel scored his second touchdown in as many weeks for the Commanders as he caught a 3-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, his first receiving touchdown of the season after he scored on a 1-yard touchdown run against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.

Samuel caught six passes for a season-high 65 yards against the Bears, while Terry McLaurin had four receptions for 49 yards, highlighted by a 32-yard gain on a downfield catch.

Stroud breaks NFL record

Although he has attempted 186 passes in his first five games as an NFL quarterback (the fifth-most among NFL quarterbacks so far this season), C.J. Stroud has yet to throw an interception. By attempting 35 more passes without a pick against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Stroud broke the record for the most passing attempts without an interception to start an NFL career.

Stroud has now thrown 10 more passes without an interception to start his NFL career than any other quarterback, as the previous record was 176 by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in 2016. 

An already historic day for Stroud became even better as the former Ohio State quarterback nearly led the Houston Texans to a fourth-quarter comeback win by driving the Texans down the field and throwing a go-ahead 18-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz with just 1:49 to play.

Stroud’s efforts to lead the Texans to their third straight win would ultimately be for naught as Houston’s defense surrendered a game-winning field goal to the Falcons. Nevertheless, Stroud only strengthened his early case for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors by completing 20 of 35 passing attempts for 249 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in Week 5.

After the game, Stroud shared a moment with one of Ohio State’s other 2023 draft picks, Zach Harrison, as the two former Buckeyes swapped jerseys with one another.

Olave, Werner help lead Saints to blowout win

The New Orleans Saints embarrassed the New England Patriots on Sunday, handing Bill Belichick’s squad a 34-0 defeat on its own home field, and multiple former Buckeyes played a part in the Saints’ triumph.

Chris Olave scored his first touchdown of the season when he caught a 5-yard pass in the end zone that gave the Saints a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

Pete Werner contributed to the beatdown when he caught a pass off a deflection for his first interception of the season.

Michael Thomas was the Saints’ leading receiver of the game, catching four passes for a season-high 65 yards.

Plenty of defensive playmakers

Jerome Baker was the sack leader among former Buckeyes in Week 5 as he recorded 1.5 sacks among eight total tackles in the Miami Dolphins’ 31-16 win over the New York Giants.

Eli Apple led the Dolphins with nine tackles in that same game, while Vonn Bell had a team-leading nine tackles in the Carolina Panthers’ 42-24 loss to the Detroit Lions. The leading tackler of the week among former Buckeyes was Jordan Fuller, who recorded a season-high 12 tackles – tied for the fifth-most among all NFL players this week. Fuller also recorded a pass deflection in the Los Angeles Rams’ 23-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Nick Bosa notched his second sack of the season as he made a season-high four tackles and recorded four quarterback hits in the San Francisco 49ers’ 42-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Johnathan Hankins was a bright spot in defeat for the Cowboys as he knocked down two passes in the first quarter.

Sam Hubbard made his first fumble recovery of the season and recorded three tackles in the Cincinnati Bengals’ 34-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Decker makes 100th start

Former Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker achieved a career milestone in the Lions’ win over the Panthers as he made his 100th career start for the Lions on Sunday.

A first-round pick in 2016, Decker has started all 100 NFL games he has played in, all with the Lions. His only opportunity to play in a playoff game came in his rookie season, as the Lions have missed the postseason for seven straight years since, but their 4-1 start to the 2023 season made Decker’s milestone day feel extra special for the former Buckeye.

“I feel like I was brought here to try and be a piece to help the team win. And it took a long time, man. But I’m almost thankful for those dark times, because it’s made this just sweet. I’m revitalized. I feel great. Like, I feel the best I’ve ever felt,” Decker said after Sunday’s game.

Transactions

  • The Philadelphia Eagles signed Bradley Roby to their practice squad last week, then elevated him to their active roster for Sunday’s game against the Rams. He played 25 defensive snaps and recorded one tackle in his season debut.
  • The 49ers elevated Kendall Sheffield from their practice squad to their active roster for the second week in a row. He played 12 defensive snaps but did not record any statistics in his second game as a 49er.
  • Cam Johnston returned from injured reserve and had six punts for 234 yards in his season debut after missing the Texans’ first four games with a calf injury.
  • Baron Browning returned to practice for the Denver Broncos last week but was not activated from the physically unable to perform list for their Week 5 game against the New York Jets. Nicholas Petit-Frere was eligible to return for the Tennessee Titans after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, but Petit-Frere was not activated for the Titans’ game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Statistics for every former Ohio State player from Week 5 and for the entire 2023 NFL season can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge. (Note: The table only includes players who finished their college careers at Ohio State.)

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 5 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB DOLPHINS 9 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 PD 18 tackles, 1 QB hit, 3 PD
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS 8 tackles, 1.5 sacks (0 yards) 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks (0 yards), 4 QB hits
VONN BELL S PANTHERS 9 tackles 33 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD
JOEY BOSA DE CHARGERS Bye 6 tackles, 3 sacks (28 yards), 3 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 PD
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 4 tackles, 0.5 sack (3 yards), 1 TFL, 4 QB hits 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks (11 yards), 3 TFL, 14 QB hits
NOAH BROWN WR TEXANS Injured reserve (groin) 3 catches, 20 yards
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS Physically unable to perform (knee) Has not played
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR GIANTS 2 catches, 23 yards 16 catches, 85 yards
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS 4 tackles 27 tackles, 3 sacks (26 yards), 1 FF, 2 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 FR, 1 TD
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 3 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS Injured reserve (Achilles) 8 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB PATRIOTS 8 carries, 21 yards; 4 catches, 17 yards 42 carries, 159 yards; 12 catches, 44 yards
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS 1 catch, 16 yards 4 catches, 30 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 15/29 passing, 282 yards, 4 TD; 11 carries, 57 yards 94/142 passing, 1,143 yards, 11 TD, 5 INT; 39 carries, 191 yards, 1 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS 12 tackles, 1 PD 34 tackles, 1 PD, 2 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS Injured reserve (back) Has not played
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT COWBOYS 3 tackles, 2 PD 10 tackles, 2 PD
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 2 tackles 8 tackles, 1 QB hit
ZACH HARRISON DE FALCONS 1 tackle 11 tackles
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS Injured reserve (groin) 1 QB hit
RONNIE HICKMAN S BROWNS Bye 1 game played at S
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS 7 tackles 21 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 3 tackles, 1 FR 25 tackles, 2 sacks (10 yards), 2 TFL, 5 QB hits, 1 FR
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Started at LG 5 starts at LG
PARIS JOHNSON JR. OL CARDINALS Started at RT 5 starts at RT
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 6 punts, 39.0 average, 2 inside 20 6 punts, 39.0 average, 2 inside 20
DAWAND JONES OT BROWNS Bye 3 starts at RT, 4 games played
DRE’MONT JONES DE SEAHAWKS Bye 9 tackles, 1 sack (2 yards), 2 TFL, 1 QB hit
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB SAINTS 5 tackles 24 tackles, 1 INT, 6 PD
TYQUAN LEWIS DE COLTS 3 QB hits, 1 PD 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 PD
COREY LINSLEY C CHARGERS Non-football illness (heart) 3 starts at C
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS 1 tackle 1 tackle, 5 games played at LS
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 4 catches, 49 yards 25 receptions, 261 yards, 1 TD, 1 FR TD
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Played at RT 1 start, 5 games played at OT
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 5 games started at C
JEFF OKUDAH CB FALCONS 6 tackles 9 tackles
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 2 catches, 12 yards, 1 TD 25 catches, 318 yards, 1 TD
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Inactive Has not played
ISAIAH PRINCE OT FALCONS Released 2 games played
BRADLEY ROBY CB EAGLES 1 tackle 1 tackle
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS 1 catch, 2 yards 3 catches, 28 yards
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 6 catches, 65 yards, 1 TD 23 catches, 243 yards, 1 TD; 3 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD
TREY SERMON RB COLTS Played at RB 8 carries, 24 yards
KENDALL SHEFFIELD CB 49ERS Played at CB 3 tackles, 1 TFL
TYREKE SMITH LB SEAHAWKS Practice squad 1 tackle
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA WR SEAHAWKS Bye 12 catches, 62 yards
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS 20/35 passing, 249 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 2 yards 114/186 passing, 1,461 yards, 7 TD; 15 carries, 53 yards
MICHAEL THOMAS WR SAINTS 4 catches, 65 yards 26 catches, 284 yards
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS 2 tackles, 1 PD 11 tackles, 1 PD
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS Bye 13 tackles, 1 TFL, 5 PD, 1 FF
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD 37 tackles, 0.5 sack (4 yards), 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 1 PD
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 3 catches, 54 yards 24 catches, 279 yards, 2 TD
LUKE WYPLER C BROWNS Bye Has not played
CHASE YOUNG DE COMMANDERS 2 tackles, 0.5 sack (0 yards), 3 QB hits, 1 PD 11 tackles, 3.0 sacks (13 yards), 3 TFL, 7 QB hits, 1 PD
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